Auto-stop idle RunPod Pods hourly, log to Sheets, ping Slack

PromptCreate

Build a deterministic, code-based workflow that auto-shuts-down long-running RunPod GPU Pods on a schedule. The trigger is a cron that fires every hour.

On each run:

1) Call RunPod's List Pods operation to get every Pod on the account.

2) Filter that list down to Pods that meet ALL of these conditions: status is RUNNING (or desiredStatus is RUNNING), uptime is greater than a configurable threshold (default 6 hours, derived from the Pod's lastStatusChange / costPerHr / createdAt timestamp depending on what RunPod returns), and the Pod name does NOT start with any of the protected prefixes in a configurable list (default ["keep-", "prod-"]).

3) For each Pod that qualifies, call RunPod's Start, Stop, Restart, or Reset Pod operation with the stop action, passing the Pod ID.

4) For each Pod that was successfully stopped, append a row to a Google Sheet via the Append Values operation. The columns are: pod id, name, GPU type, cost per hour (USD), uptime at stop (in hours), and ISO timestamp of the stop. The spreadsheet ID and tab name are workflow inputs.

5) After all stops complete, send a single rollup Slack message via Send a Message to a configurable channel. The message should look roughly like: "Auto-stopped {N} idle RunPod Pods. Reclaimed ${X}/hr. See audit log: {sheet link}." Include a short bullet list of the stopped Pods (name and GPU type) underneath.

6) If nothing qualifies on a given run, finish silently. Do not send a Slack message and do not write to the sheet.

Workflow inputs (exposed as configuration, not hardcoded): uptime threshold in hours (default 6), protected name prefixes (default ["keep-", "prod-"]), Google Sheet spreadsheet ID, sheet tab name, and Slack channel ID.

This is a code workflow, not an agent. Every step is a known list, filter, act, log pipeline with no judgement involved. Use discrete deterministic nodes wired together: cron trigger, RunPod List Pods, a filter / transform node, a loop over the filtered Pods that calls RunPod Stop and then Google Sheets Append Values, then a conditional Slack Send a Message at the end. Handle errors per-Pod so one failed stop does not abort the whole sweep.

What does this prompt do?

Checks every running RunPod GPU once an hour and stops the ones that have been on too long.
Skips anything you mark as protected, like Pods named with a keep- or prod- prefix.
Appends a row to a Google Sheet for every Pod it stops so you have an audit trail with cost, GPU type, and uptime.
Posts one short Slack rollup per run with how many Pods were stopped and how many dollars per hour you just reclaimed.

What do I need to use this?

A RunPod account with an API key that can list and stop Pods.
A Google Sheet you can write to, with a tab ready to receive the audit log.
A Slack workspace and a channel where the savings rollup should land.

How can I customize it?

Change the uptime threshold. The default is 6 hours, but a training team might want 12 and an inference team might want 2.
Edit the protected name prefixes so production or long-running training Pods are never touched.
Pick the Slack channel, the Google Sheet, and whether the rollup runs hourly, every few hours, or only during business hours.

FAQs

Will this stop my production GPUs?

No, as long as you name them with a protected prefix. The default keep list is keep- and prod-, and you can add your own prefixes when you set the workflow up.

What is the default uptime cutoff?

6 hours. Any Pod that has been running longer than that and is not on the protected list gets stopped. You can raise or lower the cutoff to match how your team uses GPUs.

Does stopping a Pod delete my work?

No. Stopping a RunPod Pod halts billing for the GPU but keeps the Pod and its container volume intact, so you can start it back up later. This workflow never deletes a Pod.

What if nothing qualifies to be stopped?

The workflow finishes silently. No Slack message, no row in the sheet, no noise. You only hear from it when something actually happened.

Can I see exactly which Pods were stopped and what they cost?

Yes. Every stopped Pod gets its own row in your Google Sheet with the Pod ID, name, GPU type, dollars per hour, uptime at stop, and a timestamp. The Slack message gives you the headline number.

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